Terms of Use

1. Scope

These Terms govern your use of RareDex. By using the service, you agree to these Terms.

2. The service

RareDex lets people save and display plant photos, journal entries, growing conditions, comments, GG reactions, and related information. RareDex is not a place to rank the value of plants; it is a place to preserve the time spent with them.

3. Accounts

You may create and use an account through Google, Apple, email, or another method offered by RareDex. You are responsible for keeping your account secure and must contact the operator promptly if you suspect unauthorized use.

4. Content you submit

You represent that you have all rights needed for the photos, writing, comments, and other information you submit and that your content does not infringe anyone else’s rights. You are responsible for the content you submit.

You grant the operator permission to use content you submit to the extent reasonably necessary to display, store, deliver, operate, and improve the service.

5. Public visibility

Plants, photos, journal entries, display names, profile images, comments, GG reactions, and other information you add may be publicly visible. Do not post an address, contact information, a face photo, another person’s personal information, or anything else you do not want made public.

6. Participants and RareDex’s role in Plant Handoffs

Any agreement to sell or transfer a plant, seed, or other eligible item through a Plant Handoff is made directly between the current owner and the next caretaker. RareDex provides the platform for carrying records forward, choosing a requester, coordinating payment and shipping information, and tracking progress. RareDex is not the seller, buyer, owner, carrier, agent, or quality inspector of the item.

The owner must confirm that they have the legal right to transfer the item; that, to the best of their knowledge, the listed classification, variety, origin, condition, price, and shipping terms are accurate; and that all required permits, filings, permissions, and disclosures are in place. The next caretaker must review the photos, records, description, shipping terms, and the possibility that a living plant may change in condition before proceeding.

If RareDex expressly permits business use in the future under a separate review and set of terms, that business user will be solely responsible for any disclosures, licenses, records, return terms, and other requirements imposed by Japan’s Act on Specified Commercial Transactions and other applicable laws.

At this time, Plant Handoffs are only for individuals passing on plants they personally own. The feature may not be used for repeated resale of purchased plants, commercial inventory sales, or any other business sales.

Plant Handoffs are available only to people who live in Japan. Plants must be shipped and received between addresses in Japan. International shipping and all other cross-border transactions are prohibited.

7. Plants and other items that may not be handled

You may not list or transfer an item unless every applicable requirement has been met, including any permit, registration, filing, disclosure, or rights-holder consent required to transfer, sell, advertise, grow, possess, transport, or propagate it. This includes nationally or internationally protected species, designated invasive species, propagating material of registered plant varieties, items subject to import or export controls, stolen property, and items subject to another party’s rights. Restrictions may apply even when no money changes hands.

If the operator identifies an actual or suspected legal violation, the operator may close a handoff, remove a listing, stop payment or shipment, restrict use, consult the appropriate authorities, or take any other reasonably necessary action.

8. Prohibited conduct

• Violating any law, regulation, or generally accepted standard of public order and morality
• Harassing, defaming, discriminating against, threatening, or impersonating another person
• Infringing another party’s copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights
• Excessive promotion, spam, or disruptive commercial solicitation
• Interfering with RareDex operations, servers, networks, or data
• Unauthorized access, probing for vulnerabilities, abusing features, or improperly obtaining data
• Posting images or text unrelated to plants or plant records, or content that is illegal, obscene, violent, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate
• Offering, exchanging, soliciting, arranging, advertising, or transacting in plants, seeds, supplies, or other items in a manner that violates or may violate any law, ordinance, treaty, permit, import or export restriction, Japan’s Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act, Act on Conservation of Endangered Species, Invasive Alien Species Act, plant breeder’s right, ownership right, or other legal right
• Using the service to arrange or direct others to an exchange, transfer, reservation, payment, shipment, or other transaction involving money outside features officially provided by RareDex
• Using Plant Handoffs for repeated resale of purchased plants, commercial inventory sales, or any other business sales
• Undermining the purpose of the service by excessively ranking or pitting the value of plants or members against one another
• Any other conduct the operator reasonably determines to be inappropriate

9. Reports, review, and removal

You may report content you reasonably believe is inappropriate, including posts, images, comments, or solicitations for transactions involving money that violate these Terms.

Whether or not a report is submitted, the operator may review posts, images, comments, accounts, and notices relating to transactions involving money. If the operator reasonably believes these Terms have been or may be violated, the operator may remove or hide content, limit its visibility, restrict an account, consult or notify outside authorities, or take other necessary action without advance notice.

10. Removal, blocking, and restrictions

If the operator determines that content or conduct violates these Terms or that action is needed to operate the service, the operator may remove content, limit its visibility, restrict an account, or take similar action without advance notice.

The service may allow you to delete comments or block specific members. Blocking features may change as the service is improved.

11. Changes and interruptions

RareDex may add, change, or discontinue features and may perform maintenance or respond to outages. To the extent permitted by law, the operator is not liable for losses resulting from those actions.

12. Data storage

RareDex takes reasonable steps to manage submitted content and account information, but does not guarantee complete preservation, recovery, or uninterrupted availability of data. Keep your own copies of important photos and records.

13. Disclaimers and liability

Plant names, growing conditions, care information, comments, and similar content on RareDex are based on members’ records or experiences. RareDex does not guarantee that this information is accurate, complete, or useful. You are responsible for your own plant care, transfers, and growing decisions.

The operator does not guarantee an item’s existence, authenticity, classification or variety, origin, ownership or other rights, legality, quality, freedom from pests or disease, safety, packaging, delivery outcome, future growth, or a member’s description. Participants should generally resolve transaction issues between themselves. The operator may review information, help with communication, stop a handoff, capture or cancel a payment, issue a refund, or take other action when appropriate, but does not guarantee any particular outcome.

Except where liability cannot legally be excluded or limited, the operator’s liability for ordinary negligence is limited to direct, ordinary damages actually incurred. Nothing in this paragraph excludes or limits liability for the operator’s intentional misconduct or gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under Japan’s Consumer Contract Act or other applicable law.

14. Intellectual property

Rights in the RareDex name, logo, design, software, and other content provided by the operator belong to the operator or the applicable rights holder. As a general rule, members retain the rights in the photos and writing they submit.

15. Privacy

RareDex handles personal information in accordance with its separate Privacy Policy.

16. Changes to these Terms

RareDex may change these Terms when a change benefits members generally or is reasonable in light of the need for the change, the fairness of the revised terms, and other relevant circumstances. For a material change, RareDex will provide notice of the change and its effective date through the service or another appropriate method before it takes effect.

17. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. Unless applicable law requires otherwise, any dispute relating to the service will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction, as the court of first instance, of the district court or summary court with jurisdiction over the operator’s address.

18. Contact

For questions about the service, contact raredex.jp@gmail.com.